Pirates Drop Four-Set Contest at Buffalo

Friday, August 24

Buffalo, NY

6:30 PM

Seton Hall University

1-1

Buffalo

2-0

Seton Hall

Buffalo

8/24/2018 8:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior Caitlin Koska (Franklin, Wis.) and junior Maggie Cvelbar (Euclid, Ohio) recorded double-doubles, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell in four sets at Buffalo, 3-1 (27-25, 13-25, 24-26, 22-25), on Friday.

Koska had 13 kills and tied her career-high with 15 digs, while Cvelbar had 17 assists and 16 digs for her second straight double-double to begin the season. Senior Abby Thelen (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) had a team-high 14 kills, and freshman Eden Dolezal (La Porte, Ind.) tallied 18 digs in her first career match.

The Pirates are now 1-1 at the season-opening Blue & White Classic in Buffalo.

SET 1:
Seton Hall led for most of the first set, but the lead was never greater than four points throughout. Down 16-14, Buffalo scored three straight points to take a 17-16 advantage, its first lead of the match. After three more ties, the Pirates finally jumped out to a 23-20 lead, which forced a Buffalo timeout. Out of the break, the Bulls scored back-to-back points to cut the Pirate lead to one, which sent Seton Hall into a timeout of its own. Two more Bulls points put them back in front, 24-23, and the Pirates took timeout No. 2 while facing set point. But the back-and-forth set took another turn with the Pirates tying the score at 24 and 25 before block assists by Emilee Turner (Kaysville, Utah) and Amanda Rachwal (Bethlehem, Pa.) put them in front, 26-25. A kill by Koska won the set for the Pirates, 27-25.

SET 2:
With the score tied at five in the second set, Buffalo went on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 17-7 advantage. The Hall cut into the Bull lead with four straight points, but couldn't draw closer. The Pirates dropped the second set, 25-13.

SET 3:
Buffalo kept up the pressure in the third set. With the score tied at three, the Bulls took the lead and it methodically grew to as many as six points at 16-10. Down 20-15, the Pirates scored three straight points, and block assists by Cherise Hennigan (Corona, Calif.) and Haylee Gasser (Mission Viejo, Calif.) cut the deficit to 20-18. With the Bulls in set point at 24-20, the Pirates remained alive by scoring four straight to tie the score at 24. Buffalo however, scored the final two points of the set to take set three, 26-24.

SET 4:
The fourth set played even in its early moments, but leading 9-8, Buffalo went on a 9-1 run to break the set open and take a commanding 18-9 advantage. In response, the Pirates scored five straight, and a kill by Koska cut the deficit to 19-15. Block assists by Koska and Gasser brought The Hall to within two, 23-21, but the Bulls closed out the set, 25-22.

Inside the Numbers:

Thelen led the Pirates with 14 kills.
Koska had 13 kills and matched her career-high with 15 digs for his first career double-double.
Cvelbar had 17 assists and 16 digs.
Gasser tallied a season-high eight blocks to lead all players.
Seton Hall recorded a .222 attack percentage for the match, while Buffalo attacked at .136.
The Hall had 42 team kills, while Buffalo had 60.
The Pirates totaled 63 team digs, while the Buffalo had 62.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 1-1 on the young season. It defeated North Dakota State in four sets earlier in the day.
With 14 kills today, Thelen now has 974 for her career, which ranks 11^th most all-time at Seton Hall. She needs just 26 more to reach 1,000 for her career.
With the loss, Seton Hall falls to 4-2 all-time against Buffalo.
Cvelbar's double-double is her second of the season and the ninth in her career.
Coffey played in her 95^th consecutive match, which leads all active Pirates. She has not missed a match since arriving in South Orange prior to the 2015 season.

Up Next:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when it wraps up play at the Blue & White Classic with an early contest against Niagara. Match time is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.